Upholding the Right to Health in Contexts of Displacement: A Whole-of-Route Policy Analysis in South Africa, Kenya, Somalia, and the DRC

The Sustainable Development Goals affirm healthcare as a universal right, with Target 3.8 calling for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) for all, including displaced populations. Yet in Southern and Eastern Africa (SEA), refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced people (IDPs), and undocumented migrants continue to face systemic health exclusions shaped by restrictive legal frameworks, under resourced health systems, and fragmented governance. This paper applies a ‘whole-of-route- rights based approach to examine how health access is shaped across displacement trajectories – from origin to transit, destination and return – focusing on w well-established migratory corridor linking the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia to Kenya and South Africa. Drawing on 70 key informant interviews and policy analysis conducted in two phases (2020-2022 and 2023-2025), the paper identifies critical implementation gaps between UHC commitments and the lived realities of displaced populations. Key challenges include an over-reliance on restrictive legal classifications, weak policy coordination, and migration-aware reforms that embed rights-based approaches into national and continual UHC strategies to ensure displaced populations are not left behind in the pursuit of health for all.